Rust and Water
by kyokki
Summary: Some Guardians' tales have been told, or hinted, or forgotten. The ancient dead become merely the ancient, known only by the shadows of secret memories behind the light in their eyes. Some secrets deserve discovery. Some tales need told.
1. Prologue: Rust and Water

Rust and Water: Endless Dance

The scent of rust and water.

The only illumination of the night the swath of the Milky Way, somehow unchanged. So bright.

Mulch of untold years of dying vegetation crushed underfoot. Soft, yielding.

Legends told that snow once fell here, centuries…maybe millennia ago.

Would it have felt similar underfoot?

Cloth slid among clinging branches, avoiding their hungry grasp. Years, decades, had worn this path; there was no reason to change it, even as it changed.

Skeletal edifices loomed overhead, an artificial, crumbling range of mountains made by man and, like the man of old, slowly succumbing to the heavy hand of time.

A soft, worn boot pressed against a broken slab of concrete. Push one, two, leap. A dark reflection dashing over the watery gap, disappearing into the shadow of the artificially formed canyons.

No need for the moon, betraying Luna, to show the way.

Streets had become channels. Ancient vehicles, reefs. And everywhere there was the scent of rust and water. A splash as yet another piece of the landscape surrendered its will to gravity and grasping vines, pulling it ever downward.

A pause, to make sure the sound hadn't disturbed any sleeping shadows.

A soft inhale.

The water rippled the reflection of shadow and ether. It settled, lapping its unending effort to lick away at the base of the stubborn metal mountains.

A soft exhalation.

It was nearly a dance, navigating the wreckage, swirling cloak partner and protector. One pace to the left, leap, turn, a bounce to the right, twirl and up. A dance that had been performed so long that it was now gracefully unconscious.

Until a step was missed.

The Hunter landed hard, her knee taking the force of the fall, her gloved hands following. She stifled a gasp of pain, pulling her other foot up to take the weight off her shattered kneecap. The end of her worn cloak trailed in the water, quickly becoming heavy, a noose rather than a partner.

She freed one hand to pull the length of sodden material forward, lest it try to drag her down.

"Guardian?"

"I'm fine." A voice so long unused that it had rusted in the throat. How long had it been since she had last spoken? Years? Decades?

"I heard something crunch." A small light flared, scanning the affected area. "Broken."

"Then fix it."

Silence as Light and Ghost worked to repair the Guardian.

The Hunter did not watch the process, her helmeted face turned skyward, watching the turn of the milky stars overhead. Her hands worked without supervision, wringing the excess moisture from her cloak. It was a wonder that it had not rotted away by now, given how many times it had been dipped and dried, torn and mended, burned and repaired.

She wasn't sure what its original color had been. But it was _her cloak_.

 _Her_ knife. _Her_ guns. _Her_ light. Those very few possessions that she valued.

Not her Ghost. Toby wasn't a _possession_ , he was a companion and an asset, the only one she'd had in such a very long time.

"Done."

The Hunter nodded. She had felt the bones as they reknit; there was no remnant of pain as she stood. She spared another nod to her Ghost and the small drone bobbed before reinserting himself into the armor matrices.

She took a deep breath redolent of the scent of rust and water, felt it settle in the back of her throat.

A few taps of her toe on the broken slab of concrete, to assimilate the new steps into the dance, and the Hunter was off again, a mere shadow amongst shadows.

On an endless, thankless patrol of an ancient long-dead city.


	2. Tortured Skyline

Part One: Tortured Skyline

Herro-7 had always found long in-atmosphere flights tedious.

In the past he had tried several different methods to keep his mind occupied. Unfortunately, his ghost didn't know many riddles and he got motion sick if he tried in-flight reading. Was never much of a reader, but there was only so much cloud-watching an EXO could take. So he dozed the few hours of flight away instead.

With a stretch and yawn he glanced out the view screen at the screen of clouds, before warily eyeing the array of instruments blinking busily in his ship's cramped cockpit.

After a minute of pretending to know what he was looking at he finally gave up trying to figure out where they had ended up and fixed his bright blue optics on his ghost.

"Are we there yet?" He asked plaintively.

"Yes, nearly." His Ghost replied absently, processors on other things.

"How close is 'nearly', Ghosty?"

Herro's ghost shot him a nasty look. He had never appreciated his nickname, no matter how affectionately given. Herro blinked back innocently. "We're almost there."

"How close is…"

"Do you want me to turn this ship around?" The irritated ghost interrupted.

"Is that an option?" The EXO asked hopefully.

"No."

Herro slumped back in his seat, pouting. A glance out the window provided yet another view of endless clouds.

"I still don't get why we're doing this." He sighed.

"Didn't we speak about this at length?" The ghost replied, an edge to his voice. "We're doing this because _you_ lost a bet."

"Well, you spoke _at_ me about it." Herro grumbled and stretched again, feeling something click into its proper place when he rolled his shoulder.

"If you had listened the last time we wouldn't be in this situation _now_."

Herro eyed his Ghost but knew from experience that the more he managed to tick him off the more the smooth ride of his ship would begin to deteriorate. One would think that whoever had designed the EXO would have been able to program out motion sickness, but noooo…

Fingers drumming against the interior hull, Herro looked at his own faint reflection in the window. Anything was better than a constant view of clouds, and he had to admit his own sleek chassis was a distinct improvement.

The ship banked sharply before her pointed prow sliced earth-ward. The clouds parted and Herro leaned forward in his seat, suddenly a lot more interested.

Not in the vast expanse of water stretching out uncomfortably close to the hull of his ship. No,iInstead what caught his gaze was the blight fast approaching on the horizon, dark and jagged, wreathed in fog and wild overgrowth.

"That's…"

"Big? Dark? Kinda Scary?" Herro suggested.

Ghosty ignored his Guardian. "Old Chicago."

"I was going to say that next."

"Scanning for a good place to transmat." Ghosty continued.

Herro, looking at the looming maw of water and jagged metal, shuddered before suggesting hopefully, "Shouldn't we fly over a few more times? Y'know, scout it out from the air? Get the lay of the land?"

"I don't see any land." The ghost turned to fix his guardian with a weather eye. "But it would probably be wise to…"

Herro tried to look innocent.

"You really don't want to go down there, do you?"

Herro gestured to himself. "EXO." Pointed down, "Water." He paused for effect before making a 'you see?' gesture. "The two don't exactly mix well."

It never failed to unnerve the EXO when his ghost stared at him and gave a long, slow blink-like equivalent.

"Fine." He muttered. "But you get to pay for the detailing when I have to haul my rusty ass into the shop."


	3. Troubled Waters

Part 2: Troubled Waters

Herro-7 stood on a piece of what might once have been part of a building, fallen from somewhere above him what he hoped had been a long time ago. He cast a wary glance upwards at the tilting monoliths of mankind's golden age.

"Did that building just move?" He asked.

 _No._

"I swear it just moved." The EXO shifted uneasily, ready to jump out of the way at a moment's notice. Something in the distance creaked as the wind howled through countless crevices, producing an eerie wail. If EXO had hair, Herro would swear his was standing on end.

 _It really didn't move. I_ will warn you _if anything looks to be hazardous._ If a disembodied voice could sound long-suffering, Ghosty managed it.

Herro nevertheless kept a suspicious eye on the building as he picked his way along the scattered debris lining what had probably been a pretty wide road. This was both good and bad. It was good because it gave him a good view of the wide waters to his right, bad because it gave him a good view of the wide waters to his right. There was entirely too much of it, in his opinion. His path hugged the shattered remnants of the buildings that had once lined the west side of the thoroughfare, really the only path currently available.

"It's too quiet here." He commented to take his mind off the slippery…something…the rusted and bent girder he was traversing was coated with. He took a few mincing steps before jumping up to the next marginally secure looking piece of rubble. The further he could get from the oily-looking surface of the water the better. It seemed to ooze greedily towards the hem of his Queen's Guard cloak. He snatched the length of fabric away with a glare.

 _A situation you seem determined to remedy._ His ghost replied snidely. _I thought Hunters were supposed to be quieter._

"And I thought ghosts were supposed to like their guardians." Herro pointed out.

 _There are exceptions to every rule._ A pause. _Hey, that was actually a little bit clever._

"I'd take a bow if I wasn't balanced really precariously over who knows how many feet of lake." The EXO gauged the distance to the next perch. Two hops should do it. He took three, just to be sure.

 _And I_ don't _dislike_ _you._ Ghosty pointed out.

"Usually I would complain about having this conversation right now, but I'd actually rather argue with you than think about how big a splash I'd make if I fell from this high up."

There was a long pause as his ghost processed this.

 _It_ would _be a pretty big splash. Watch your step…_

Herro's boot skidded on the slime coated slab of concrete and he hastily snatched at a handful of vines that clung to the remains of the wall beside him. Fortunately they held under his considerable weight. Looking up, he measured the distance to the broken top. He was pretty sure he could make it, if he timed his jumps right.

One, two…three. One gloved hand grasped the broken edge, the other soon followed and he hauled himself up to crouch on the top. He rose, staring at the maze of twisted metal and ruined buildings.

"How am I supposed to find _anything_ in all this mess?"

 _We have a general location._

"Well, it's a good thing you don't dislike me because even so…" Herro reached up and adjusted his hood. "We may be stuck here for a while."

…

The Hunter rose from her perch on atop an ancient statue. Though pitted and weathered it was still recognizable as having once been a lion, noble head raised high; a good vantage point. Its partner had long since fallen from its guarding marble platform, only what was left of its worn flank still showing above the waterline.

The other hadn't noticed her, too busy trying to navigate without knowing the proper steps.

She glanced down at the flank of her lion's drowned partner, rust forming a moving cloud of red motes in the water around it.

It was dangerous to dance without knowing the steps, the water eager to swallow those who faltered.

 _Why do you think they're here?_

She shook off her ghost's question. It didn't matter why the other was here. He wasn't the one she was waiting for.

The Hunter laid one hand on the lion's pitted mane before turning and jumping to one of the broken pillars that had graced the façade of the once white building, now grey and green with lichen, mold and clinging vine.


	4. Steel Dragons

Part 3: Steel Dragons

"I think it's supposed to be a dragon."

"And I say it's a woman."

"I just don't see it!" Herro protested, turning his helmeted head this way and that as he peered down at the partially submerged metal sculpture. It may have been silver once, but time and water had left its mark in patches of rusty red.

Ghosty rocked back and forth. "It is. I'm sure of it."

"Why are we even discussing this?"

"You said you needed a distraction!"

"Discussing weird ancient art was not what I had in mind!"

Ghost and EXO stared at each other.

Herro had tucked himself into the empty window frame of one of the buildings that seemed more or less stable. If he kept telling himself that he might just start believe it, he thought as he pulled his cloak closer.

The setting sun cast long shadows across the masses of twisted metal below him, painting everything it touched gold, while casting all else into deepest shadow. Herro didn't trust even his mechanically superior vision to pick out a safe path through.

He knew Ghosty would do his best to revive him, to put him back on safer ground, but he didn't want to tempt death, not in this catacomb of rusted steel and oily water. There was something about this dead city, almost a hunger, the twisted metal girders elongated fingers stretching up to drag everything they touched down into their watery home…

"Help me, Ghosty. I'm waxing poetical!"

"I could tell you a riddle?"

"I don't think you understand the severity of the situation!"

"Do you really think you should be shouting right now?" His ghost asked, tilting inquisitively.

Herro's mouth shut with a snap. He looked away. Just because they hadn't seen another living thing besides plants didn't mean there was nothing there. Herro stared down at the water a good twenty feet below his perch.

"Hey, Ghosty?"

"Yes, Guardian?"

"How big can fish get, do you think?"

"Pretty big, why?"

The sunlit water rippled, illuminating a long, at least seven feet, sleek shadow moving sinuously just below the surface of the water. Hero gulped, unable to tear his eyes from the half hidden form as it slid away from the patch of light and glided into the shadows between the crumbling buildings.

"No reason." He managed, his voice perhaps pitched just a tad higher than usual.

"Whatever." Ghost gave his equivalent of a shrug. "Why don't you get some sleep? We'll move out at sunrise."

"Hey," Herro protested. "Shouldn't I be the one to decide when we go? I _am_ the Guardian, after all."

"Fine," Ghosty huffed. "Then what do you want to do?"

"Get some sleep and head out in the morning."

If Ghosty had teeth Herro could be sure that he would be gritting them.

"Excellent idea, Guardian."

The Hunter raced through the darkness, her soft boots unerringly finding long memorized pathways.

The other had not been careful. He had not been quiet. His movements had been noted, and he moved ever closer to places that should not be discovered. Places that should not be disturbed.

A knife appeared in her hand as she ran across a tilted girder suspended a hundred feet over the waiting water below. It shifted slightly and she moved with it, not pausing to watch as it twisted, finally giving up its precarious balance and tumbling into the waiting blackness.

By the time it hit the water she was far enough away to not even hear the splash.

Other things were waiting, and she needed to be in place to intercept them.

Shock blades would flash.

Void light would eat away at the darkness.

The Hunter bared her teeth in what could almost have been called a smile had anyone been able to see it.

It would be a good fight.


	5. Memory of Rains

Part Four: Memory of Rains

* * *

He turned, arm outstretched.

The Hunter took the proffered hand without hesitation and used his bulk to stand. He was unmoved by her weight, the weight of her armor, a Titan in all regards. She held onto his hand a little longer than needed.

He did not protest. Perhaps his eyes even warmed a little, though his expression did not change,

She wished she could coax out a smile, but there were so few to be had.

She surveyed their surroundings. "We survived." She felt moved to say, her eyes on the shattered landscape.

He nodded, the smoldering flames reflected in his glowing turquoise eyes. "Many did not. But the walls still stand. Still we survive, and will rebuild." His eyes turned to the sleeping orb above.

She nodded, "We will survive."

Just before they transmatted away, leaving behind so many who could not lay the same claim, she released his gauntleted hand.

* * *

"What do you think happened here?" Herro-7 asked his Ghost, his voice hushed. He carefully walked the cavernous hall, keeping one eye on the crumbling ceiling, the other on the scattered Fallen corpses.

They were flung in all directions, ether drained, two and four arms at impossible angles cast across the rubble-strewn floor.

Herro knelt to examine their armor. "Looks like House Kings to me?" He murmured, voice rising on a question as he held out his hand to release his Ghost into the still, waiting air.

Ghosty formed from a gathering of light, floated a short distance and scanned a few of the corpses. "I have to agree." He spun to survey the entire room. "A lot of them."

"Well, there were." Herro shrugged, standing and brushing off his hands. "So…theories?"

"I'm detecting faint traces of void light."

"This doesn't look like a Warlock's work to me." Herro nudged one of the bodies with his boot. The dreg's arm flopped limply away. "They don't usually go in for knives."

"Do you think we've found her?"

Herro shook his head. "Where she's been anyway..." He took his scout rifle from his back and checked it for patches of rust. It was none the worse for wear despite the constant choking humidity in the air. "If it's even her."

"Who else could it be?" Ghosty pointed out.

Herro shrugged again, tilting his head up as water started falling through one of the many holes in the ceiling. "And now it's raining. Great."

"Look on the bright side."

Herro waited for his Ghost to continue.

"Well?"

"I was hoping you'd come up with something." Ghosty admitted.

Herro walked the floor, looking for a dry place free of Fallen bodies. It took a while. Finally he stopped in one of the corners and sat on a vine-covered pile of rubble to watch the rain that was now sluicing through the gaps in the masonry.

"Do you think she knows we're here?" He asked, taking the quiet moment to check his cloak for signs of wear or mold.

Ghosty moved away, examining every corner of the room. "If she doesn't then she's not paying attention. You've made enough noise to alert a dozen Guardians to your presence." He scanned another corpse, "And at least twenty Fallen."

"I do try." Herro said modestly. "All right, on the theory she knows we're here, and she is who we think she is, why do you think she hasn't approached us?"

"Maybe she's intimidated by your charm and grace."

"You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Herro chided.

"What can I say? You bring out the worst in me." Ghosty bobbed.

"She doesn't want to be found, does she?" It wasn't a question. Not really. Herro could think of no other reason to spend so many years in this watery ruin than a rather avid desire to stay hidden.

"That seems to be the case." The Ghost agreed.

Herro stood, slapping his hands on his thighs with a damp thump. "Well, guess it's time to head back."

Ghosty zoomed to hover in front of his Guardian's face. "Surely, you can't be serious!"

"We found proof she's here…" Herro jabbed a finger at one of the corpses to illustrate his point.

"That someone's here."

"And we know she…"

"Or he."

"Doesn't want anything to do with us."

"We don't know that."

"Find her, or her Ghost, those were the terms."

"Cayde won't accept it if you leave without actually finding her." Ghosty spun in irritation.

"Is he going to come here to find out?"

"Maybe not." The Ghost stilled, voice becoming sly. "But how much would you want to bet that if you go now, without finding her, in a week's time you're going to have to start all over again."

Herro stopped in shock. "You'd _tell_ on me?"

The Ghost's lack of answer was answer enough.

"So much for loyalty." Herro snarled, moving back to his dry corner and wrapping himself in his damp cloak. "Wake me when the rain's stopped."

"You're going to sleep here?" The Ghost asked. "With all these…"

"Yes, and I'm not talking to you." Herro grumped. "Traitor."

* * *

The Hunter stood in the lee of a broken wall, cloak wrapped close around her to protect her weapons from the wind-driven squall.

She wiped her fingers across her faceplate, clearing away the water that smeared her vision.

Her hands disappeared back under her cloak.

Unconsciously, the rubbed her fingers.


	6. Falling Fire

Part Five: Falling Fire

The building swayed gently in the ever-present wind, crumbs of masonry falling with every swing. Herro closed his eyes and swallowed. "You can't physically throw up." He murmured to himself. "It's impossible." He opened his eyes, ignoring the improbable nausea, and looked out again from his perch. Pieces of rubble made his prone position uncomfortable, but he wasn't going to move, not now that something interesting had finally appeared.

The ketch hovered, only the engines that kept it stationary against its tethers humming quietly, just audible above the howling drafts that swept continually through the ruined buildings.

Red banners hung suspended below the great ship, snapping almost horizontal, twisting back upon themselves before stilling, over and over again, in an endless dance.

"No movement." He noted. Just as there had been no movement of any kind in the last four hours he had been lying here, trying not to throw up. Not a single dropship, not a single patrol passing by, navigating the rubble and water-choked streets below. "Maybe they're sleeping... But no patrols?" He muttered, rolling to his feet and steadying himself on a piece of broken wall when the building swayed again.

He stopped, head tilting thoughtfully. "Dead?" He murmured.

 _Are you trying to convince me that you're losing it?_

"Still not talking to you." Herro said.

 _You're not doing a very good job of it._

"Shut up. I do what I want."

 _Do you want to take a closer look?_

Herro rolled to his feet, putting out a hand to steady himself as the building swayed again. "Ugh." He bent over to take deep breaths.

 _It's all in your head, you know._

"Shut up, voice I'm not listening to." The EXO straightened, one hand straightening his twisted cloak, the other still pressed against the crumbling wall.

 _That's about to give, by the way._

Herro snatched his hand back so quickly that he stumbled, one foot landing on solid floor, the other nothing but air as the plaster gave way beneath his weight. He caught the edge of the hole briefly before that, too, crumbled and he found himself falling, completely out of control. His cloak snagged on something and caught, giving him a moment to dangle and observe the terrain beneath him.

"Well, shit." He had time to murmur before the material tore and he plummeted.

She saw the other fall.

The Hunter leapt from the ruins of the building from which she had been observing the other. One, two, a hard landing but there was no time to make it smooth. She stumbled before regaining her footing, leaping from one piece of rubble to the other, making her way ever closer to where the other had fallen as quickly as her light-fueled feet would carry her.

Herro clipped a piece of ruined building with his shoulder, heard a crack, but he couldn't steady himself well enough to jump to a clearer route down.

 _Guardian!_ He heard his ghost shout.

He bounced off another piece, heard another crack, saw the ground rushing towards him. One great effort and he made a mid-air jump, softening his fall just enough so that when he hit the ground it at least was not with a bone-crushing force.

 _Guardian, get up guardian!_

Herro made it to his hands and knees with a groan before his arm collapsed under him, sending him back to the damp earth. "Ghosty." He mumbled, voice strained.

 _I'm working on it, but you need to move._

"Can't." Herro groaned. "Arm's broken. Leg too. Hurry up and fix me."

 _Guardian._ The ghost's voice was hushed. _We've found them._

Herro raised his head with an effort.

Surrounded.

He tried to get to his feet as the silence was broken by the unmistakable sound of Fallen chatter. The surprise of his sudden appearance was wearing off. He heard the roar of a captain, the squeals of the dregs as they realized what had appeared in their midst.

"Yeah, quite a prize to drop in your laps." He agreed with them. "Ghosty?" He whispered, trying again to rise and failing.

 _There's a lot of damage._

The captain he had heard roar shouldered its way between the dregs, pushing them to the side as he, or she, Herro could never tell the difference, made its way unhurriedly towards the helpless Guardian sprawled on the rubble-choked floor.

It stared down at him.

Herro stared up at it.

"Hi, there." Herro said.

The captain cocked its head. It made a noise that might have been a laugh, blades appearing in two of its four hands.

Herro stayed still, the longer the captain postured the more time his ghost would have to fix his injuries.

"Sorry to have crashed your party." He continued. "I didn't even bring beer. Very impolite, I know, but my favorite brewery isn't exactly around the corner…"

Herro cut himself off as the captain used the flat of one blade to lift his helmeted chin.

"That's not very nice." Herro chided, feeling his broken pieces repairing themselves. Almost... "I apologized, didn't I?" He complained.

He saw the other blade swing back out of the corner of his eye. Out of time.

The retort of a gun.

The arm holding the blade dropped to the ground, still clutching at its hilt. The captain reared back, roaring. The void bloomed from its chest, sending out tendrils to catch the others that had gathered close to watch the nemesis die.

 _Guardian, move!_

Herro sprang backwards, pulling out his scout rifle and taking aim at the first tethered head. In the shadows on the other side of the room he saw muzzle flash, again and again before whomever it was rolled into the room, tossing down a grenade to take out the few that had escaped the grasp of the void. It erupted, melting them into ether and bone.

Herro's thrown knife caught one dreg in the forehead, its head ruptured, spilling ether into the air. Immediately he turned and threw another. He turned again, raising his scout rifle instinctively to catch the captain's remaining blade. He brought his foot up and hit it squarely in the chest with the heel of his hard boot, thrusting it away just long enough to summon his Golden Gun.

In a flash of the sun's fiery rage the skirmish was over.

Herro lowered his golden gun and loosed the last two shots into the floor, his eyes on the shadowed figure that stood on the other side of the room, surrounded by the corpses of her enemies, poised.

For flight.

Herro lifted his hands and pulled off his helmet to tuck it under his arm.

"Hi, my name is Herro-7." She didn't respond so he cleared his throat and said the first thing that came to mind. "I'm here to rescue you."


	7. Circles of Smoke

Part 6: Circles of Smoke

* * *

The Hunter looked at Herro for a long moment, then to the fallen corpses that surrounded her. He could just feel her raised eyebrow as she looked back at him.

"Okay, yeah, no. I didn't say that right." The EXO stuttered. "I meant I was sent to _find_ you, and, you know, help out if you were in trouble."

He could swear he could almost _hear_ her eyebrow climbing higher. He rubbed his forehead plates with his fingers. "So much for first impressions." He muttered to himself.

Ghosty swam into existence, "What my Guardian is trying, and failing, to say is that Cayde-6 heard rumors you might be here and sent us to find you."

"I lost a bet." Herro provided, helpfully. "So I got volunteered."

"Cayde-6?" The Hunter asked, her voice low and throaty, with a hint of a rasp.

"You know, the Hunter Vanguard."

She drew back a little. There was a long pause before she asked. "Andal?"

Herro blinked. "Oh, you didn't… Andal Brask, um, also lost a bet... His was just a little more…permanent."

"He's dead." She said, no color to her voice at all.

Herro nodded.

She withdrew a little more.

* * *

The bar was dark and crowded, smelling of dust, smoke, leather and gunpowder, relics of its usual clientele. Most civilians who wandered into this bar by accident would quickly walk out again, but never without paying for a round of drinks first. That's why the Hunters liked it, she supposed.

She had thought that by coming here she would feel less alone. She had been wrong.

"Hey kid, doing okay?"

The Hunter looked up at the human who stood over her with a sympathetic smile.

"Want some company?"

She hesitated before nodding, swirling the drink in her hand, not even glancing up when there was a commotion at the poker table a couple other Guardians had set up nearby.

"I know you're cheating, Cayde!" One of the Hunters at the table accused.

"Oh, yeah? Dare ya to prove it."

Andal glanced over and shook his head before taking the seat beside hers and signaling for a drink.

"So…can you talk about it?"

She looked at him, and there was the memory of smoke in her eyes.

* * *

"Ghosty, I'm losing her." Herro stage-whispered out of the corner of his mouth. He didn't dare take his eyes off the Hunter, lest she disappear.

"Isn't that what you wanted?" Ghosty asked. "Find her and go home?"

"That was before I saw her fight." Herro-7 protested. "We're going to need someone like her."

The Hunter's helmet twitched between the two of them.

"Leave." She said, turning, her water-stained and rust flecked cloak swirling around her ankles. She vanished through the empty doorframe.

Herro looked at his Ghost. "Did she mean leave _here_ or leave in general?"

"I'm…not sure."

"Maybe she meant that _she_ was leaving." Herro strode towards the door the Hunter had disappeared through as Ghosty reintegrated himself into the Hunter's armor.

 _Wouldn't she have said 'leaving', then?_

"Dunno." Herro shrugged, putting his helmet back on without breaking stride and pulling his hood back up. "I get the feeling she's not much of a talker."

He paused once they made it outside, looking for traces of her passage, since he figured she hadn't stuck around for long. Sure enough he saw only a flicker of movement a slight distance away and somewhat above him. It took a second to figure out the route she might have taken and he sighed before giving chase.

"So… first Kings and now Devils." He said conversationally to his Ghost, trying to keep his mind off how close the water was in this section. "Think it's significant?"

 _We know that the Kings mainly pull the strings of the other fallen Houses from the shadows. Maybe they called the Devils here for a reason?_

"Or maybe they've been here all along." Herro's foot slipped and he flailed for a second before recovering his balance and soldiering on.

 _A stronghold?_

"Could be." He kept his eyes on the flickering shadow in the distance. "I'll bet you she knows."

 _We're not getting any closer, are we?_ Ghosty observed.

Peeved silence was his only answer.

 _If we lose her I doubt we'll ever find her again._

Herro didn't say anything.

He'd lost sight of her. No, wait. A little further down the vegetation choked street, he saw the flash of fabric whipping around a distant corner. He took off, Bones of Eao giving him extra maneuverability as he continued the chase.

* * *

 _Guardian?_

"Yeah."

 _We're back at the beginning, aren't we?_

"Yeah, and no sign of her now." Herro said, looking out at the dark expanse of water stretching out endlessly to the east. He turned his back to the violet-colored inland sea. "Hey, Ghosty. You want to know what I think?"

… _Maybe?_

"I think we were getting close to something she didn't want us to find so she lured us away."

The Ghost's voice sounded relieved. _That seems likely._

"Hey, Ghosty." Herro adjusted his hood. "In your experience, what's the best way to get a Hunter to do something?"

 _Make a wager?_

"No, the other thing…"

 _Pay them a lot of glimmer?_

Herro sighed, but he couldn't argue that. "The _other_ other thing."

 _Oh…tell them they can't._

"Precisely." Herro agreed, dropping back into the jagged maw that was Old Chicago.


	8. Two to Tango

Part 7: Two to Tango

* * *

The Hunter had had many years to perfect this skill. It had been necessary to learn, first on the long journey to find the Light, that inexplicable draw towards the Traveler not caring through what it may lead on the way. Here, in this second afterlife of water and steel it had been refined, the lead and draw, lure and entice. To make the enemy, or even the friend, think that _this_ was the way they should go, even when it wasn't.

She crouched on the rooftop, letting the diffuse light of the waxing moon glance off her gun, just a touch, and then she melted back into shadow.

The other had seen.

Now, the question would be if he would decide the invitation was truth or lie.

 _How long are you going to play with him?_ Toby asked, not judging, just curious.

She shook her head, stepping off the ledge and letting a gentle bounce take her down to the nest of vines and stone below. They softened any noise she may have made, and she rolled down the tilting edifice, gaining her feet and moving along a path that only she knew. An extra energy moved her feet, the source of which she wouldn't acknowledge.

"Until he takes his toys and goes home." She told her ghost, no inflection in her husky voice.

 _Don't you think it's rather risky? Letting him roam?_

"Yes." The Hunter replied after a long moment of contemplation, feet never wavering on her moonlit path.

* * *

Cayde-6 leaned against the railing overlooking the City, just taking a quiet moment to think about how long it would take for anyone to notice if he just took a little stroll down. Maybe to one of the City gates. The Titans on guard wouldn't think anything of it if he just continued on through, maybe take his sparrow out for a spin, make sure it didn't need a tune-up…maybe keep going for a while. A day, two at the most… Or maybe a week, two at most.

He really did deserve a vacation…

"Cayde!"

The Hunter Vanguard kept his back turned just long enough to hide his eye-roll before he turned to face Zavala. Usually he wouldn't have bothered hiding the expression, but it was still early and he didn't want to rile the Commander up just yet. Although if Cayde were to judge from his tone of voice, Zavala was on the verge of riled already. And he hadn't even had time to _do_ anything yet.

"Good Morning." He told the Commander cheerfully.

Zavala blinked at him. "Ah, yes. Good morning."

Cayde successfully restrained his snicker. 'Polite to a fault' was a phrase that seemed coined for the Awoken man and Cayde was more than happy to take advantage of the fact.

The Commander cleared his throat, looking down at the holographic tablet he held in one hand. "In any case, we need to discuss your continued diversion of City assets to…"

Cayde held up his hands in protest. Zavala ignored him.

"To non-essential areas."

The EXO held up a finger, cocking his head in question. "Which assets are we talking about, here?"

Zavala raised an eyebrow. "And to which would you assume I was referring?"

Cayde shook his head. "I can sense a loaded question a mile away," he commented, rolling his shoulders. "So why don't you just go ahead and tell me."

The Awoken man narrowed his eyes slightly. "Very well." He glanced back down at his tab. "I was going over deployment orders for the last two months and noticed that one of your Hunters was assigned to a forbidden…"

"Restricted, not forbidden." Cayde corrected easily before giving a mocking little wave at Zavala's irritated stare. "Sorry, do continue."

"As you seem to already know to whom I am referring, perhaps you could enlighten me as to your reasoning."

"I sent one of my Hunters to Old Chicago to have a look around." Cayde shrugged.

Zavala's jaw clenched. "There is nothing there."

"We don't know that. It's been a while."

"Nothing relevant."

"Again," Cayde leaned back against the railing. "We don't know that."

"Flyovers have revealed…"

"Bit of a tangle, Old Chicago. Could be hiding all sorts of things, things you can't see from the air." Cayde leaned back a little further, glancing down at the City below. It would be so easy to just let himself fall. Other Guardians did it all the time, for fun. "People, places, Golden Age technology….people."

"You said people twice." Zavala pushed his tab shut, his own eyes drifting to the view over the railing, bright blue sweeping from the hulking mass of the Traveler to the City resting peacefully below.

"Did I?" Cayde replied innocently, bringing the Commander's attention back to him with sharp focus. "My mistake."

"Why do I highly doubt that?" Zavala replied drily, tapping his closed tab against his palm. "What are you hiding?"

"Lots of things." Cayde admitted, raising his hands and pushing himself away from the railing with one last regretful glance at the City below. He gestured towards the Vanguards' hall and Zavala fell into step beside him. "But I was trying to keep this one a surprise."

"I do not care much for surprises." The Commander spared a nod for one of the early risers as they passed.

Cayde touched his own finger to his forehead. "Oh, I know."

Zavala glared as they passed down the stairs and between the Crucible tables. Shaxx was fully occupied with his stats board and didn't look up, though Arcite 99-40 at least acknowledged their passage.

"So…"

Cayde sighed, stopping to lean against the doorway and survey the long table he would be standing by all day. Another sigh. "I heard a rumor that there was a Guardian there."

"Newly revived?" Zavala asked, pulling his tab back open and preparing to make a note.

"Not according to my source." Cayde told him. "Herro-7 made a wager he shouldn't have, since he lost, so I decided to send him there to find out if the rumor was true."

"He's been gone two months." Zavala snapped.

"Must've found something." Cayde straightened and continued to his position, sighing again when he saw the pile of messages waiting for him.

"He hasn't been in communication?"

Cayde shrugged, shuffling through the papers. "He's never been good at writing letters and there's something about the place that makes electronic communication difficult at best, impossible at worst."

"You're not concerned?"

Maybe a little, but he'd never admit that. "I was going to give it another week before I sent someone out to check on him."

Zavala took his place at the head of the table, fingers working at the tense lines of his forehead. "So this…rumored Guardian…"

"If my source was correct, it's ah, who was it now? Oh, yeah, Alia Tev." Cayde looked up at the sound of a loud crack.

Zavala's broken tab fell to the top of the table as he stared at the EXO.

"Surprise."


	9. Past Shadows

Part 8: Past Shadows

* * *

Libraries always had a certain scent to them, paper dust and mold, dried leather and glue, those smells that proclaimed, in their silent way, that this was a repository of knowledge. The silence itself spoke of hidden secrets, lurking in the muffled pages and scrolls. Rarely would one raise their voice between the shelves, as through speaking too loudly would alert something that should not be awakened, an idea, perhaps, that lay in wait for the curious and the unprepared.

Red lights flashed in the darkness.

A hulking figure sat in the shadows, the single flickering light behind its shoulder illuminating the manuscript over which it was poring. The light danced across chromed fingers as they reached out and turned the page with a quiet rustle. The hand stopped, mid turn, as the light flickered again.

The red lights moved through the darkness, head turning towards muffled approaching footsteps. Otherwise the figure did not move, just waited.

"I thought I might find you here, Knight." Zavala moved into the small pool of light.

Knight-12 nodded, neither greeting nor annoyance in the gesture, just acknowledgement. "More often than not," He replied. "I don't make myself difficult to find." His finger carefully stroked down the page, as though reminding what knowledge was contained there that it was not forgotten.

Zavala walked over to the other chair in the crowded nook and removed the pile of books on the seat. The EXO watched with sharp eyes as the commander carefully placed the pile on the table before sitting. With a sigh he leaned forward and tented his hands before his face.

Knight waited patiently, light flicking over his silver chrome faceplates.

"Cayde claims he may have found her."

The EXO shifted slightly, "Reliable source?"

"He seems to think so."

"So she was not lost after all."

Zavala sighed and rubbed at his forehead, avoiding the EXO's steady gaze. "Not in the way we thought, in any case. It has been…a long time."

"Where?"

"Old Chicago."

"Interesting."

Zavala looked up, turquoise eyes glowing in the dim, mote-laden air. "Why would she go there?" There was an unfamiliar note in the question, one not many would have ever heard in the commander's voice.

Knight's eyes didn't move, their red glow casting violet shadows on Zavala's skin. "You don't know?"

Zavala stood in a sudden convulsive move and Knight's optics blinked once, slowly, before he pointedly turned them back to the book before him. Zavala stopped, arresting whatever impulse had moved him, but remained standing. "That wasn't what I was asking."

"But it was a question that needed to be asked, my friend." Knight replied complacently. "Or at least an answer remembered."

Zavala stood silent.

With a sigh Knight set his book aside and unfolded himself from his chair. His massive shadow eclipsed the small light behind him as he towered over the awoken commander. "You have a request to make of me, I assume."

The commander folded his hands behind his back. "I recommended that you be approached to check in on one of Cayde's Hunters. He was sent to Old Chicago over two months ago."

"Oh?"

"Herro-7."

"I know him. We worked together before." Knight paused, as though searching his memory for further information. "He likes to climb things."

"Given the state of Old Chicago such an inclination should serve him well." Zavala agreed. "But the fact remains that he has not returned and has not been in communication since he was sent."

"She would not harm him."

Zavala's expression flickered. "We can't know that." He said after a long moment of silence.

Knight shook his head. "You should trust that she would not have changed so much as to be unrecognizable. After what happened…"

" _Trust._ " Zavala's stance became stone-like, unmoving, unmovable. His head lifted. "You were not there. Do not speak to me of trust."

Knight raised one hand in a placating gesture. "My apologies."

The Commander's jaw clenched and relaxed several times as he strove to gain control over his emotions.

The EXO sighed and murmured under his breath. "Incomplete information can be more harmful than a deliberate lie discovered." He shook his head again. "When asked, I will agree."

Zavala ducked his head, deciding to ignore the first comment in favor of the second. "My thanks." He replied, voice tight before he turned on his heel and vanished into the maze of shadowed bookshelves.

Knight turned and began gathering up his books. "Gideon, I assume you were auditing the conversation?"

"Very interesting _."_ Knight's Ghost replied, appearing from behind another bookshelf. "To think that after all these years he would still feel so…strongly about the matter."

Knight hummed thoughtfully, gently tapping the edge of one book against his palm before replacing it on the shelf. "He is not one that changes easily. Adapt? Yes. That is what makes him a great tactician, and a good leader. But his core? That is built as strongly as the walls that surround us." He turned, replaced another book. "Very few things have managed to shake those foundations."

"One of them being Alia." Gideon agreed. "The only time I've ever seen him crumble was the day she disappeared."

"A good many things happened on that day." Knight replied, a note of sadness in his voice.

"Yes, and none of them good."

The EXO stopped, turning his head, his Ghost mimicking his movements. "That will be Cayde." He commented, listening to the pattern of footsteps, the displacement of air as a cloak swished around the corner of a bookshelf.

"I think you intimidate him." Gideon observed.

The EXO smiled. "That so?"

"Be nice." Gideon chided before he vanished, leaving Knight to find the best place to properly loom in wait for the Hunter Vanguard.


	10. Before the Bow

Part 9: Before the Bow

The Lightbearer cast her eyes over the crowd before her. "Are you ready?"

"Ready!" The group called out, hefting their ammunition and preparing to let fly.

"Hey, no cheating." One small boy called out.

"My apologies, good sir!" The woman gave a little bow to the protester before she turned her back and pulled her cloak down to cover her eyes, drawing a chorus of high-pitched cheers and laughs. "Still ready?" She asked.

The children proclaimed their readiness yet again.

"You sure?" She laughed at their groans. "All right, all right. Three," The children raised their arms, eyes shining in anticipation. She tilted her head. "Two." She flexed her knees, lowering her stance. "One!"

In one smooth motion she leapt and spun, tiny darts of void energy forming around her fingers. The children's missiles flew through the air, and her hands flashed out, one item after another being darted and pulled into the Hunter's radius.

Her hands wove through the air, pulling from the void and releasing too quickly for the eye to track until she was surrounded by assorted projectiles held in stasis by thin threads of violet non-light. A few breathless moments later, and her feet once again touched the ground. She closed her fist and the void web she had created vanished, toys and stones and pieces of fruit following her to the earth with a soft patter.

"I didn't miss any, did I?" She asked with exaggerated concern, tossing her hood back and turning her wide silver eyes from the circle of items to the circle of children.

"No!" The children crowed joyfully, darting forward to reclaim their void-touched items.

She blew out a relieved sigh. "That will be all for today, then. Thank you for helping me practice."

"You're welcome, Miss Alia!" They chorused, some with more disappointment in their voices than others, before dashing away to find their families or caretakers. She watched them, mind occupied. The void darts were a good trick but one hardly effective in battle unless she could get the Fallen to throw small things at her. She flexed her hand. There must be a way to harness the energy... A larger dart, perhaps?

Finally, only a few remained searching for particularly small items that had lost themselves in the grass.

"Do you not find it a risk?" Alia stilled, taking her time before turning towards the source of the disapproving new voice, so different from a child's lilting tones. "Using the void in such close proximity to children?"

She looked up at the armored Risen who regarded her, his arms folded across his leather armor clad chest. The field she had chosen was far from the settlement's center so she had to assume that he had happened to be patrolling the perimeter when he came upon her 'practice session.'

"Mister?" One of the children, a tiny girl, took hold of the end of the red cloth tied around the man's waist and tugged to get his attention.

He immediately crouched, bringing his height more on the child's level. "Yes, what did you need?"

"I can't find my rock."

The man turned his glowing turquoise eyes to look to Alia.

She approached and crouched as well. "Was it a special rock?" She asked. She could feel the Awoken Risen's eyes on the side of her face, but she refused to look at him.

The child nodded and wiped one dirty sleeve under her equally dirty nose. "I didn't want to throw it, but Nierto made me."

Alia closed her eyes briefly. "Tell me about the rock."

"I found it in the river…" The child began.

Alia listened, walking to the center of her practice arena, turning to orient herself to where she remembered the child's position to be. If the child had been reluctant she wouldn't have thrown it far. Alia took a few steps forward and dropped to her knees, hands parting the grass. A few minutes later the raised her hand to reveal a smooth grey stone with a blue spot and a hole worn through the center.

"That's it!" The child cried, jumping off the seat she had taken on the Risen man's knee and dashing over to snatch the stone and clutch it to her chest.

The man rose and followed her, rummaging in his pocket. After a second he came up with a piece of red string. "May I?" He asked, kneeling again and putting out one large hand. The child ducked her head, leaning back against Alia's leg, apparently struck by a bout of sudden shyness. She glanced up at the woman for affirmation and Alia smiled and nodded.

The child held out one small fist and dropped the stone into the man's hand. Quickly he threaded the cord from his pocket through the hole in the stone and tied the makeshift necklace around the child's neck. "So you won't fear losing it again." He murmured.

The child stared down at her new ornament for a moment in wonder before threw she her arms around the man's neck, clinging tightly. His eyes widened in surprise before his expression softened and he laid one big hand on the back of her head, nearly engulfing her brown curls.

"Off you go now, Hana." Alia told the girl gently. "Your aunt will be looking for you."

She released the Titan and bounced off, turning once to wave. "Goodnight, Miss Alia! Goodnight Mister!"

Alia waved before moving to where she stowed her gear. She was aware of the Titan following her. "Do you fear it?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"The void." She said, picking up her pack before turning and giving him a comprehensive look. "You hear a lot of things about the void, and those who use it, but it's different for everyone, don't you think?"

He opened his mouth, shut it. Opened it again. "I do not fear it, but it is a tool for battle, not games."

"Only if you want it to be." The woman tapped her head, her chest. "Here and here, that's what matters." She turned her eyes to the silent orb hovering above them. Her eyes softened, then hardened, and she shook her head before swinging her pack over her shoulder and moving away from the sleeping Traveler.

"Wait."

She twirled, her cloak whipping at the back of her knees.

He glanced down, then up again at her. "Be safe."

She smiled at him, silver eyes glowing in the darkness beneath the trees. "Thank you, Zavala."

"I don't think we've been introduced?"

She chuckled. "Well, Shaxx is a bit of a gossip, and…" She looked him up and down, very deliberately. "You're kind of hard to miss." The woman chuckled again at his expression and, with a wave, pulled her hood up to cover her face before disappearing among the trees.


	11. Old Unwelcome Memories

Part 10: Old Unwelcome Memories

* * *

The Hunter worried her bottom lip under the concealing mask of her helmet.

The other…Herro, had proven to be far more adept at learning the steps than she originally estimated. In mere months he had begun by standing on her feet, making only the moves she allowed, but now…. He slid through the ruins of Old Chicago as though he had been taking in its trips and traps for as long as she.

There were other concerns as well, and this constant chase was preventing her from fully pursuing them. The movements of the Fallen had been…strange lately. First they had abandoned their ketch, then she had seen the colors of Kings and Devils mixing where they shouldn't. Flashes of other colors, other crests.

Then they'd all vanished.

She pulled her hood tighter over her head. She'd have to venture in, hope that the…that Herro wouldn't be able to follow. So many risks. More than she'd wanted to take.

Her head snapped around at the sound of a splash where there shouldn't be one. Her head turned again and she stood at another sound.

A ship. Another ship. Why? Why now after all this time?

She watched it flash overhead through the gap in the ceiling.

She…knew that ship, those markings.

It shouldn't be here. It _couldn't be here._

Instinctively the Hunter shrank back, pushing herself against the wall as though she wanted to melt into it. The void began to roil around her.

 _Guardian, please calm down._ Toby pleaded.

She put her hand against the crumbling wall, forcing the void into it. With a loud crunch the section of rubble caved in upon itself. She stared down through the new hole, breathing hard, to see Herro standing in the street just below, his violet and gold cape billowing in the constant breeze.

"Alia Tev!" He called out.

She flinched. Too much. It was all too much, too quickly. She let herself fall into the void, shade-stepping away before emerging at a run.

* * *

"She sure is fast!" Herro commented to his ghost.

 _Pay attention!_

"Whoops!" Herro vaulted over the wall, taking another jump on the other side, touching down on solid ground and taking an instant to get his bearings before taking off again at a sprint.

 _Don't lose her!_

"I got this." the EXO replied, taking a one-eighty midair and landing on a higher platform. He bounded from section to section, hardly paying attention anymore to the oily water far below.

 _Guardian?_

"What?"

 _I think something's wrong…_

"What do you mean?" Herro vaulted another section of wall, landing on the rusted girder on the other side and quickly traversing it.

 _Look at how she's running._

"I can't do that and not fall at the same time, Ghosty. Do you _want_ me to fall?" He leapt from one crumbling rooftop to another.

 _It looks like she's trying to get away from us…_

"And that's different how?"

 _No, I mean_ really _trying to get away._ The ghost paused. _Desperately._

"Well, if she's trying to do that she's heading the wrong way. We'll hit the lakeshore in a second and there's nowhere to go from there." Herro said, an inkling of misgiving running across his circuits.

 _That's what I'm worried about._

Herro skidded to stop atop one of the leaning buildings. "Wait!" He yelled, cupping his hands over his mouth. She didn't hear, or didn't listen. Now that he had stopped he could see she was nearly frantic. A guilty feeling flickered through him. She had stopped playing the game and he hadn't noticed.

 _Guardian, she's not stopping._

"I see that!" Herro backed up to get a running start. "Bones, don't fail me." He mumbled, beginning his run-up. "Also…" He continued, just before he hit the edge, "please don't answer."

She leapt off the last piece of building, not seeming to care that the only place to land was the waiting water. The wind tossed the waves, reaching higher, their white foam fingers beckoning.

A dark figure separated itself from the shadows, and in a burst, glided on an intercept. Robes whipped in the wind as the figure reached out its arms and caught the Hunter, pulling her close and wrapping itself around her as the two bodies landed on the other side of the gap with a crash.

Herro nearly checked his leap mid-air, hovering for a heart-stopping moment above open water. His last desperate jump took him to the head of an old statue. A big cat of some kind, maybe. He landed in a crouch, before standing and looking over to where the other two had landed. A moment surveying his surroundings gave him a path and he leapt off the cat's head.

"What just happened?" He asked.

… _Remember that ship earlier?_

Herro nodded, hopping from broken slab of concrete to broken slab of concrete.

 _Whoever it was must have found our transmat zone._

"Whoever it is has ridiculously good timing." Herro grunted.

His ghost didn't answer.

Herro leapt to the hole in the wall the two had disappeared through and stopped, one foot on the broken piece of wall, one hand grasping the torn vines.

The two figures were huddled in the middle of the floor, the hulking robe-clad Warlock still curled over the Hunter he had caught. Gently he removed her helmet. Her eyes, silver and glowing in the shadows, stared blankly at nothing, nothing Herro could see anyway. A memory? Whatever it was must have been terrifying.

The Warlock's own helmet joined the Hunter's on the floor. He glanced over at Herro, a warning in his bright red eyes before he turned back and wrapped his arms around Alia's shoulders.

Herro nodded at Knight's silent request, drawing back further into the shadows.

"Alia." The Warlock's voice was low. "Alia, look at me."

Her silver eyes flickered. She blinked, her wide gaze turning to look into the red optics of the EXO holding her. The glow turned her pale blue skin violet. She blinked again, seemed to come back to herself. She lashed out, but Knight's position made her strikes ineffective at best.

"Leave me!" She shouted.

He shook his head, expression turning as warm as an EXO was able to emote. He pulled her in closer. "You're alive." He murmured, holding her against his chest.

She started shaking her head frantically. "No! You're not supposed to be here!"

The EXO held her even closer. He began to rock gently, one hand on the back of her head. Somehow that simple gesture seemed to get through to her and she quieted, taking in a shuddering breath. She mumbled something Herro couldn't quite make out.

"No one thinks that." Knight replied.

She mumbled again.

He didn't answer and she pressed her face against the EXO's robed shoulder, curling her fingers around his bond. Herro heard a muffled sob.

Knight's shoulders seemed to loosen. He looked over at Herro. "And I thought finding the two of you would be _difficult_."


	12. Waking Between

Part 11: Waking Between

The first words she heard spoken upon receiving her second life, and shortly before her second, though not final, death were spoken by her Ghost. She had just enough time to open her eyes on nothing but void before her lungs failed to draw and the cold pulled her back. Just enough time to hear _I'm so sorry!_ piped somewhere in her head, bypassing ears and vacuum.

She had just enough time to begin a question before darkness stole it away.

Such an inauspicious beginning.

* * *

"Are you awake?"

She rolled her eyes open. She felt strange, but she did not know why. She felt different, but couldn't say how.

"Do you…remember anything?" She took a minute to focus in the flickering and uncertain illumination. One little light hovered before her eyes, blue, shifting. She blinked and shook her head. A shell of some unfamiliar material surrounded the light itself like a mechanical eye. It blinked back at her.

"Life support?" She asked, frowning, lifting a hand to rub at the bridge of her nose.

"Oh." The light drew back, looking chastened, somehow. "So you…uh…do remember. Sorry about that. I found you and got…excited."

She didn't really pay much attention as he continued to apologize, too distracted by the sight of her own skin. She watched the filaments of glowing silver shift beneath the pale blue epidermis on the back of her hand, transfixed.

"Are you…okay?" The little drone asked, hesitantly. She turned her attention back to it, or him, she supposed, since the voice sounded masculine.

"What?" She asked.

"Are you okay?" He asked again, drawing back a little.

She frowned. "No. What are you?"

The light of his optic seemed to brighten. "I'm a Ghost. I'm _your_ Ghost."

She squinted at him and he hastened to explain.

She listened with half an ear, working at the restraining harness that held her to her uncomfortable seat. The buckles finally gave way reluctantly and she found herself floating in zero-g. Not too surprising given the earlier lack of breathable atmosphere. She pushed herself away from the wall.

The Ghost that was hers broke off what he was saying to hover in front of her face. "You…may not want to look…" Impatiently she brushed him aside before immediately regretting it. She had not been the only one in this place.

Vacuum had preserved them. They hung there in their safety harnesses, frozen, though quickly thawing, faces staring at her before she averted her eyes, pushing herself towards what looked like the exit. Thankfully the hatch was open and had no doubt been the way the ghost had entered.

"Can't you bring them back?" She asked.

The ghost swung from side to side. "No. I'm _your_ Ghost." He said. His optic rolled back to the line of frozen corpses for an instant. "And none of them have your connection to the Light." There was a finality in his tone, and she nodded though she didn't truly understand. "Make sure you stay close, some parts of the ship are open to space."

"So what am I?" she asked as they floated through cold and empty corridors.

"When I left Earth some were calling those like you the 'Risen.'"

"There are others?"

He bobbed. "Not many, but we're still looking."

"Who?"

"The other Ghosts."

"Should I…remember…any of this?" She finally asked. Apparently she was no stranger to zero-g because she moved instinctively as though she had done this a hundred times before. The problem was she couldn't remember any of those times. She couldn't remember going to space, or even putting on the maroon colored jumpsuit she was wearing. She couldn't remember…

The ghost hesitated, falling behind. She turned herself to look at him. "We don't know why…" He started slowly. "But no, not many of you seem to remember anything."

"How can we not remember?"

He regarded her with his unblinking blue optic. "What's your name?" He asked gently.

She opened her mouth, prepared to prove him wrong, but found only blankness. Surely she must have a name. Everyone had a name, didn't they?

She looked down at herself. Maroon jumpsuit with sleeves rolled up to reveal blue and silver forearms. She smoothed her hands down the fabric, finding pockets, finding them empty. A feeling just as empty rolled through her and she rubbed her hand over her chest. Her fingers found a change in texture and she looked down again.

Words and letters were stitched on the maroon fabric over her breast. She pulled the fabric out, tilting her head.

ALIA-T.E.V.

"Alia Tev?" She murmured, trying to find familiarity in the words. There was none.

"Is that what you wish to be named?" The Ghost asked. "It's up to you."

She shook her head, uncertain.

They floated for a while in silence. She deliberately avoided looking into any of the warped hatches they passed. "What happened here?"

The Ghost hesitated. "It seems as though your ship ran into some trouble. I'm…not certain. You haven't been here terribly long, certainly post-Collapse."

"Collapse?" she asked.

"It's a long story." He told her before stopping in the middle of the passage and scanning one of the doors. "This leads to the escape pods. I can hack one and program it to take us back to Earth."

She felt a little tug when he spoke, as though somewhere deep inside something was agreeing with him. She watched as he worked at the controls, finally getting the hatch open. She would have hesitated before floating inside but, if she were honest, this prospect looked a lot better than endlessly drifting in the void.

She settled into the jumpseat, holding onto the back of the headrest and watching as the ghost made his final inputs. "Before we detach…turn the life support back off."

He glanced at her and bobbed in agreement.

"Ready to go in a moment."

Just then she felt something. Like a string of musical notes, or a shimmer of starlight. A wordless invitation.

The pod released and oriented itself before moving in the opposite direction to where she felt that…peculiar feeling.

"Alia?" the ghost asked.

She shook her head. "I'm fine. On course to Earth?"

"Should be there in a few months."

She stared at him. "Food?"

"There are emergency rations, though I don't think you'll actually _need_ them."

"Good." She told him, settling back in the seat and straightening her jumpsuit, "Then I think there's time to tell me a long story. Starting with the Collapse."

"Actually." The little drone said thoughtfully. "I think it would be best if we start with the Traveler."


	13. Hard Landing

Part 12: Hard Landing

"We can survive this, right?" She asked her Ghost.

Toby, she wasn't sure if that was his real name but he didn't object when she chose it, had done the best he could with what he had, but the navigation systems in the escape pod were rudimentary at best.

"Um…"

"Okay, let me rephrase that." She continued, watching the holographic representation of the Earth and reading off the rapidly falling digits beside it. The pod hadn't come with an exterior view port, which made sense, as it was utilitarian and not intended for the use to which they had put it. "You can survive this, and bring me back," She looked at Toby. "Right?"

It had taken weeks to give her the basic rundown of what had happened since the Traveler's arrival in the solar system, and weeks for her to process it. She had already experienced Toby's ability to resurrect so she didn't doubt that aspect, no matter how unbelievable it may seem at first.

She wasn't quite sure about the 'wielding light as a weapon' part, but he assured her that that would come in time.

Her hands twinged painfully, and she looked down to see her knuckles had turned a paler blue. With an effort she peeled her fingers away from the safety harness and rubbed the feeling back into the digits.

She knew it wouldn't help anything, and yet she couldn't keep her eyes from drifting to the readouts her Ghost hovered over, his shell twitching in concentration. At least that's what she hoped it was. Was he just pretending to do something to make her feel better about…

The capsule jolted, pushing her against the harness and pushing out all thoughts of duplicity on the part of her Ghost out her mind as her fingers once again clutched at the harness compulsively.

"Hold on! Entering upper atmosphere." Toby called out.

Did he sound nervous?

"Um…just hold on. I've got this."

The pod shook, making her teeth rattle in her skull. It jolted again and she felt the muscles in her neck strain against the sudden movement. Her eyes sealed themselves shut as she tried to brace.

"Hold on!" Toby called again. "I'm going to…"

She felt something unsettling, as though an alien presence had made itself at home in a corner of her mind.

 _It's going to be a rough but…it's going to be okay._ Toby's voice sounded intimately in her head. _I'm not going to lose you now._

"Reassuring." She strangled before there was one last shock and everything went hot and dark.

A frisson of energy skated across every nerve, reawakening, reviving, restoring.

She gasped, her eyes popping open, silver staring into blue. She groaned, rolling to her hands and knees and shaking her head to clear the…she wasn't sure what. Not a memory, exactly, but a fading awareness of something in between then and now.

"Alia! You're okay!"

"That." She grunted, pushing herself to her feet, "Remains to be seen." She glanced at her Ghost then at the flaming wreckage surrounding her. "And I'd probably be better if you didn't sound so surprised."

Toby managed to look chastened. "I'm sorry. I'm still new at this, you know."

Alia took a moment to look for a good way out that wouldn't involve being sliced or charred along the way. With a sigh she picked the most likely route and began to crawl through the wreckage, Toby hovering over her shoulder like a concerned mechanical hummingbird.

"Do you know where we landed?" She asked.

"The navigation systems weren't terribly accurate, but I have a general idea." He hesitated.

She carefully grabbed a piece of twisted metal and heaved it to the side. "What is it?"

"Do you feel it?"

Her mouth opened to ask what he meant before she found herself slowly closing it again. The thing was, now that he had pointed it out, she did feel something. It was similar to that odd sensation of _rightness_ she felt when Toby had pointed the escape pod towards Earth. She finally clambered free of the last of the wreckage, finding herself in a small clearing formed, apparently, from their hard landing, given the state of the surrounding trees.

She turned, following that feeling as though it were true north and she the lodestone.

There.

"What is it?" She found herself whispering.

The ghost floated up beside her cheek, following her gaze. "That's the Traveler. The Light. You feel it calling you?"

"Yes." She agreed, still whispering. "It's so strange."

The ghost bobbed, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. "We'd best scavenge what we can. It's a long road ahead."

Alia found herself reluctant to turn and search the wreckage, but Ghost had told her a lot in their months-long journey, and she knew he was right.

"Did anything hear us land?"

Toby gave his equivalent of a shrug. "We weren't exactly subtle, so we might want to leave here as quickly as possible before someone or something comes to investigate."

She nodded, rummaging. She held up one of the charred survival blankets, eyeing it speculatively. "Toby?"

"Yes, Alia?"

"I don't suppose you know how to sew?"

The Ghost made a noise suspiciously like a laugh.


	14. Small Sanctuary

Part 13: Small Sanctuary

* * *

The village was small, built among the ruins of other, greater buildings. All to the good, no one lived in those buildings anymore, and those that remained needed all the protection that Golden Age construction could afford. Despite the sturdiness of the remaining walls, the people within walked quietly, most with a haunted, almost hunted look in their eyes. But they pressed on despite that. Even the children, should they play at all, played quietly.

They did so in a patch of dirt just inside the ramshackle gate, some complex game involving sticks and stones, their smudged faces intent on the action before them. One looked up and tensed, nudging his companion.

One after another stopped what they were doing to stare at the apparition that appeared at a gap in the loose wall of debris that surrounded their dwellings.

It was dirty, but so were they. It wore an odd covering over its head and shoulders made of some light silvery material that shifted at the slightest breeze, revealing a female form clad in mostly maroon, but with odd bits and pieces strapped to its arms and legs, likely for protection. From their vantage near the ground they could see glowing silver eyes staring down at them. Her face was slightly round, with high cheeks and slightly down-tilted eyes, which would make her look sleepy if she weren't staring so intensely at the gathered children. She held a staff in her hand, but not as one would a weapon.

One child broke the circle and ran deeper into the village, quickly disappearing between the cobbled together buildings. The blue woman's gaze never wavered.

One girl got to her feet slowly, folding her arms to cover her fright. "Why are you blue?" She asked, sticking her chin out belligerently.

One of the other children hissed and reached to tug her down but she shook him off.

"Why are you not?" The woman asked, voice low and a little husky.

"Because we're human, silly." The girl explained, relaxing slightly.

"I see. And are you also the gatekeepers?"

"Pauly went off again." The girl explained, her tone indicative of what she thought of the absent sentry. "He's not a very good guard."

"So you're filling in." The woman nodded, her eyes flicking away. The girl turned to see the village men hurrying up, though still some distance away, most of them holding weapons in their hands.

"You better not be here to make trouble." The girl continued. "Or you'll be sorry."

"I will certainly keep that in mind."

"Why were you staring at us like that?"

"Was I?" The woman sounded surprised. "I apologize. But I haven't seen a living soul in…months. I was beginning to think I was the only one left."

"You didn't see any…" The girl glanced around before whispering, as though saying the word any louder would summon the boogeyman, "Fallen?"

A strange look flickered over the woman's face, turning her eyes flinty for a moment. "Oh, I've met a few of those."

"You did?" The boy who had tried to pull the girl down asked. "How…how are you even alive?"

"Your eyes glow." Another small girl chimed in, the boy glared at her for interrupting.

"They do?" The woman asked, again seeming genuinely surprised.

"Uh-huh." The children chorused.

"Well, fancy that." She murmured. "Toby, why didn't you tell me?"

The children stared at her as she tilted her head, as if she were listening to a voice in her ear.

"Well, how would I know? It's not like we've passed any mirrors."

A glance went among the children.

"Touched?" The girl whispered to the boy next to her, glancing over her shoulder to see what was taking the elders so long to arrive. They had stopped in a huddle in the middle of the village, seeming content to let the children keep the stranger talking. She sniffed contemptuously.

He nodded in agreement, shifting nervously from foot to foot. She grabbed his arm to keep him from making a break for it.

The blue woman had followed her glance. She looked back, glowing silver eyes glinting in amusement. "I see." She said enigmatically.

She and the girl stared at each other. A flicker of something passed between them, an understanding perhaps.

"I'm not here to make trouble." She said, her eyes moving to scan the trees surrounding them. "Have you had trouble with the…Fallen lately?"

The girl hesitated before nodding.

"Then your, Pauly, was it? has put you in danger by leaving his post."

"He's not the only guard." The girl felt obligated to point out. "He's just supposed to watch the gate." Her eyes narrowed. "How did you…?"

The woman tilted her head again and smiled a small, fierce smile. "They have an outpost nearby."

"They do?"

She flicked one slim hand at the walls and the girl caught a glimpse of a weapon strapped to her hip, covered again by her cloak a moment later. "I see. I'll take care of it for you."

"You will?" The girl asked. The boy beside her stopped fidgeting and just stared, mouth falling open. "Alone?"

"No, I'm not being overconfident, Toby." The woman said, eyes flicking aside. She turned them back to the girl. "I'll return soon, Light willing." In a flash she dropped off the wall and was gone as quickly as she had appeared.

The elders chose that moment to reach the small cluster of children.

"Who was that?" One demanded. "What did they want?"

"I don't know…" The girl murmured, but hope flared within her. "But I think…she wanted to help."

* * *

"Red-haired girl." The call came out of nowhere, and the girl jumped, nearly dropping the armful of wood she had been gathering.

"Whoa, sorry. I didn't mean to startle you."

"My _name_ is Mali." The girl replied scathingly to cover her moment of terror as she turned.

The blue woman stood not two feet behind her, dirty and even more tattered appearing than when she had first appeared. A smile flashed through the darkness beneath her torn hood. "And I'm Alia."

"Where have you been?" Mali demanded, even as she stared at the glow of the woman's eyes within the cowl.

"Taking care of the Fallen outpost." The woman replied, pushing back her hood. Mali eyed Alia's silky silver-blue hair with some envy. She tossed her own curly red hair out of her face in irritation as the wind picked up and whipped it around her shoulders. Then what Alia had said seemed to register.

"The Fallen…are gone?"

"I picked up a few pieces of tech while I was there." The woman hefted the bag on one shoulder and shot her a hopeful look. "Thought it may prove useful."

"You killed all the Fallen?"

"That she did."

The two whipped around at the sound of a new voice, the blue woman's hand disappearing under the edge of her cloak.

The village's best hunter, Doredo, approached from the edge of the forest, a bow in his hands, but not held at ready. Mali glanced nervously at Alia and found her attention on the bow, not the man who held it, her eyes speculative.

Without thought Mali dashed out and placed herself squarely between the hunter and the woman, not sure, for a moment whom she was protecting. She put her hands on her hips, looking defiantly up at the hunter. He stopped short, giving her a surprised look. A gentle hand, shaking slightly, was placed upon her shoulder. For a moment she was transfixed by the flowing silver threads beneath the pale blue skin. She looked up to see Alia smiling down at her.

"You don't need to protect me, little warrior." She said gently, moving her to the side.

She and the hunter sized each other up. Doredo was a whipcord thin man, his slim frame hiding a lean sort of strength. His shoulders were broad, a cloak of rough earth-hued material slung over them. His face was mostly covered by a wild beard that even now had bits of leaves and twigs woven through it. His dark skin had been tanned even darker by constant exposure to wind and sun, and his even darker eyes were nearly hidden beneath a heavy brow.

Mali couldn't help but compare them to the earth and the sky, so different were they in appearance. But even so there was a similarity to them, a watchful stillness and eyes that missed nothing.

The silence became stretched and tense.

Doredo finally said. "I saw what happened."

Alia ducked her head, expression hidden. "Thank you for not interfering."

"Who says I didn't?" The slash of a smile, quick as lightning, dashed across his thin mouth.

"I see."

Mali looked between the two. Alia seemed almost sad, Doredo watchful.

Doredo sighed, scratching at his beard. Mali relaxed, releasing the breath she didn't know she held. "You're following the tales." He commented cryptically.

"I don't think they're just tales." Alia said.

"Could be." He gave her a long look and she lifted her chin, meeting his gaze. "Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it."

She nodded, almost regally.

He shipped his bow across his shoulders. "Favor for favor, our hospitality is yours."

Mali reached up and grabbed Alia's hand, claiming her with a triumphant look at the bemused Doredo before tugging her towards the village. "You can stay at my house."

"I'll inform the elders, then?" Doredo called after their retreating backs, clear amusement in his deep voice.

"My thanks." She replied, voice thick, before allowing the child to lead her into the settlement.


	15. Iron Wolf

Part 14: Iron Wolf

Doredo took her hand in his, giving it a squeeze before releasing it. "If you happen to find what you're looking for…come back and find us. Mayhap we'll be of a mind to see it for ourselves, blue girl."

Alia stood.

She stood and she looked down at the ruins of the village that had sheltered her for the long months between autumn and spring that first year she'd risen.

"Are you sure?" Optimus-9 asked.

Toby, who had been hovering over her shoulder, glanced at her before giving the answer they both knew and wished they didn't. "Yes."

Alia couldn't reply. Memories flashed through her head of a tow-headed girl with beautiful red curls. Memories of the hunter who first showed her how to properly hold a bow. Kind words in a dark place, warm meals on a cold night. Company and laughter in the midst of fear and uncertainty.

All gone now. She'd waited far too long.

Her feet carried her down the hill, the worn footpath now choked with weeds and stones carried with the rains.

She did not look back at the two Risen she had convinced to accompany her on this journey.

Mali would have been in her twenties now, Alia thought. She would have been a strong woman, a fighter. Perhaps she had been able to escape.

Charred timbers cracked and fell under the weight of the recent rainfall. The smell of smoke and char was old but still present. She could still point out what remained of the villagers' dwellings, turn and point her finger at each one and rattle off the names of the occupants.

How long ago did this happen? She wondered as she stopped in the middle of the village square, turning slowly to look at the devastation that surrounded her. Toby flew from her shoulder and started to scan, obviously wondering the same thing.

"Was it the Fallen, you think?" Varsus, the Risen who had followed on silent feet wondered, crouching to poke at some of the fallen timbers.

The other shook his head, walking over to look at the generator half-buried in the side of a collapsed building. "Not likely. They wouldn't have left tech like this lying around." He flipped up the side of the rust spotted apparatus and rummaged around the inner workings. "Still in working condition, too." Optimus-9 shook his head again and released the panel. It fell back into place with a too-loud clang. He hunched his shoulders. "Sorry."

Varsus straightened, dusting off his hands. The two looked to Alia.

After her first slow turn she hadn't moved except to follow the movements of her ghost with her helmeted head.

"Think any of 'em got away?" Varsus asked.

Optimus-9 shrugged, raising his hands helplessly before pausing and slowly shaking his head.

"Anything, Toby?" Alia finally spoke, her voice low and husky.

Her ghost had been hovering over one spot for several seconds. He turned slightly before returning to his scan, giving no answer.

Alia snapped into motion, striding over to her Ghost, her cloak billowing behind her. "What did you find?" She demanded before stopping short. A long moment passed before she moved again, slowly, painfully, kneeling and brushing the wet ash away from something on the ground.

Toby bobbed a short distance away. She didn't acknowledge him, her hands stroking away the soot. What emerged was a fire-hardened shaft of wood, a skeletal hand falling away as she lifted it.

She knew this bow.

"I make a mark for each year we survive, a little carving, or 'n emblem. Somethin' to say we've made it another one." Strong, scarred hands wielded the wickedly sharp hunting knife with skilled motions, scraping away the barest layer from the wood's exterior. "By the time it's carved enough to be useless I figure I'll be too old to use it anyway."

The knife's edge glinted in the uncertain light.

"Helps to pass the time on cold nights like these." He gave her a sidelong look with his dark eyes and a little smile crossed his hard, seamed face.

She traced over the ash-darkened carvings, finding a certain one, the one he had carved that winter they'd spent together. Only five more marked their way down the charred shaft.

"Seven years ago." She murmured.

"My scans say the same." Toby bobbed.

"We should scout around for a while." Optimus-9 spoke up. "See if there're signs of a Warlord or Fallen in the vicinity."

Alia carefully set the bow back down beside the bones of its owner.

He would have fought to his last breath for these people, his hard surface hiding the kindest heart. She doubted many of the villagers had known.

She had known.

She reached down and tore a small piece of fabric that had survived away from the hood covering Doredo's staring skull. She held it in her hand for a long moment before tucking it inside her chestpiece.

"Any sign of the others?" She asked. "Could anyone have escaped?"

"It's possible." Toby said, unable to keep the doubt out of his electronic voice. "Or they could have been taken."

She whirled to face the others. "There are places in the area where someone could have holed up for at least a while. We'll check there first."

"And if we don't find anything?" Varsus asked.

"Then we go hunting for Fallen, or a Warlord." She said, her voice cold.

Optimus-9 nodded, while Varsus adjusted the lay of his hood.

"I just signed up for an escort mission, not a hunt." He protested mildly.

Optimus-9 stared at him.

"I'm just saying, do you really think we're prepared for this?"

"If we weren't prepared we wouldn't have taken up Radegast's banner." Optimus-9 told him in mild remonstration.

Alia tilted her helmet at him in wordless thanks for his support.

"Either come with us or return to the Temple and let the Iron Lords know what's going on." She said, her tone scathing. "But I know this Iron Wolf is ready for the hunt."


	16. Best Served

Part Fifteen: Best Served

He found her sitting out beyond the fledgling walls, sitting on a rough-hewn block of granite that waited to be dressed and fitted into the growing fortifications. Her head turned a little as he approached, but otherwise she didn't acknowledge his presence, her gaze distant, staring beyond the trees and mountains to something perhaps only she could see.

Though she was still her hands were busy just above her lap.

As he approached he could see a strip of tattered and stained fabric twisting through her fingers. Over and under, through and back, restless caresses. He wondered if it was in reflection of her thoughts, constant, twisting restless memories and recriminations.

With a heavy sigh he sat beside her, a respectful distance away, but close enough that he could reach out to touch.

Other than that small shift of the head she didn't seem to take notice. Her fingers continued their restless dance.

He let her sit in silence, reluctant to break it; though he knew that eventually it must be so. Neither of them was ever particularly talkative, but neither had they ever had difficulties finding something to say to one another.

"Have you come to scold me?" She finally said.

He would have breathed a sigh of relief that she had been the one to break the silence, except…well.

"Do I need to?" He said instead.

She huffed a strained laugh. He glanced over to see her eyes squinted shut, one hand against her forehead, the strip of faded and threadbare fabric still fluttering between her fingers. "No, but if you must, you must."

Now he did sigh and lean back on his arms, head tilted to the sleeping giant overhead. "You know I'm not your enemy."

"I know."

"Would you call me friend?"

She was silent long enough that he let his head swivel to look at her. He didn't like the haunted, blank look in her distant silver eyes.

"I don't think I should." She whispered, so soft that his audio receptors barely picked up the words.

Her fingers began their restless twirl again. He wondered how much longer the scrap in her hands would last under such treatment, but it had become a good indicator of her moods in the meantime.

" _Shouldn't_ doesn't mean _won't_." He murmured.

Again, that rusty laugh.

"And such has been marked in my past actions." She looked down. "I shouldn't have gone without planning. I shouldn't have dragged them along with me." She swallowed audibly, her eyes once again squinted shut. "But I did."

 _Was my life worth theirs?_

Her head went to her forehead again.

"Would, that you could do it over again, would you repeat your actions?"

The words tore out of her throat. "Yes, by the Traveler, yes!" She pushed herself off the stone. "Nothing I did would I have done differently." Her hands clenched at her sides and she looked up at him, his glowing crimson eyes lighting her pale blue skin, turning it violet. "So scold me, yell at me! Tell me I was stupid, that I acted rashly, that I got them killed!" Her voice cracked on the last word, and she turned her face away from him, away from the dead god she invoked.

 _Little pieces lightless on the ground. An outstretched, gauntleted hand, frozen in the act of reaching._

The crimson lights flickered as his eyes closed. Slowly he stood, his rough robes falling back into their proper place. She must have heard his approach, but she didn't move away. In one heartbreaking moment he realized she expected him to strike her.

Instead he reached out, pulling her small, stiff figure against him so her head rested where she would have heard his beating heart, had he had one. One chrome metal hand reached up to cradle the back of her head.

"You were stupid, and rash. But at any moment they could have turned away. You did not kill them."

"Don't be kind to me." She sniffled, and he felt the stiffness draining out of her muscles. "I put them in that situation. They looked to me as leader."

"You did, and they did." He agreed. "But I went there, to the place they fell, and I don't think I would have done differently either."

"Don't lie."

He didn't. He had never lied to her. Withheld information, oh yes, but never lied. His memory brought back to him with photographic clarity the place where the battle had taken place. The squalor of the people held beneath the Warlord's thumb and threats of power. The evidence of those he had made _examples_ of. The people there had had the look of those that had just awakened from a particularly vivid nightmare, not sure, even now, that it had ended.

Several Risen had shown up to attend to the aftermath, directing the shell-shocked pilgrims to take what supplies they could. He had exchanged with her a look, and she jerked her head in answer to his unspoken question.

What he had seen at the site of the battle was telling.

"I do not lie." He said.

"I wasn't meant to walk away from there." She whispered.

 _An arrow flying from the darkness. The warlord distracted from the single woman before him, companions lying tangled with his own dead. Who would dare?_

 _A strike, swift and unseen for the distraction. No honor in it, a turned back presenting an opportunity that_ could not be _passed up. Rage and grief in the second strike._

 _Little pieces falling lightless to the ground._

 _No matter, no time._

 _The girl lay against the wall, worn bow dropping from nerveless fingers._

 _"_ Mali!"

 _A tangle of matted, dull red hair above a dirty face, paler for the blood that stained the fabric over her heaving chest. Those few last breaths spent on one question._

 _Was my life worth theirs?_

"Was it worth their lives?"

He reared back, genuinely shocked.

She looked up at him, her silver eyes dull, awaiting his judgment.

"I…no…I must marshal my thoughts before I answer you." He released her from his arms, though he took her hands and guided her to sit on the block behind them. She allowed him, her dull silence frightening.

He looked down at her, before answering with a single word. "Yes."

Her eyes widened, life coming back into them. She opened her mouth but stopped when he raised his hand.

"And it would have been worth your life, my life, any of our lives. Because they, not us, not us who were brought back by the Traveler, are the chosen future. They are our _hope."_ His hands moved to her shoulders, making sure he had her full attention. "We must guard that hope. And if we should die so that even one of those flickers might live and grow, every one of us should be glad to do so. That is why we were chosen, and gifted."

"To guard." She whispered.

"To be guardians of those small lights so that one day…"

Now he turned, and her gaze followed him. They looked to the sleeping orb, then to the many lights glowing in its protective shadow. "So that one day they will outshine us."

She let out a deep breath, one that carried away the heavy weight upon her. It hadn't all gone, that he knew, and that was for the best.

"Friend Knight?"

"Yes, Alia?"

"Thank you."

"Thank Zavala, I just cribbed him."

She laughed and, though still a little rusty, it was genuine.


	17. Eternal Flame

Part Sixteen: Eternal Flame

It was a rag-tag group, as they often were. Bedraggled and road-worn they looked up at the sleeping giant above them.

They always did. It was an instinct. The two Titans and the Hunter that had accompanied them patiently herded them through the open gate as they stumbled along, unable to watch their feet while the Traveler and what lay beneath it, their new sanctuary, held their attention.

Zavala watched them from his post atop the wall. This was a duty he never found onerous. He enjoyed looking into those wide, awestruck eyes, the ones that asked him, 'is this real?'.

The Hunter in the group paused mid step, her helmeted head turned up, staring straight at him. He peered down at her. Nodded gravely.

"Zavala?" She asked.

His eyebrows went up. "Yes?"

She pulled off her helmet and turned fully to give him a brilliant smile. "It _is_ you. It's been a while."

"Alia." He blinked.

She shrugged her cloak over her shoulders, readjusting the lay of bow and rifle slung across her back. "I wasn't sure you'd remember me."

"You proved hard to forget." He told her plainly.

Her smile grew, silver eyes sparkling. "And you're still hard to miss." She glanced over at the pilgrims she had helped guide in, ensuring they were making it into the proper hands. "As is the growth here." She continued, eyes still on her charges until the last disappeared into the crowd. "I noticed the new perimeter?" She turned, a question in her eyes.

"The space within the original wall is proving insufficient for the numbers." He said, holding a hand down to her, a silent offer to help her clamber up the wall. She released her helmet and it vanished, her ghost storing it away as she jumped up to the first platform.

He watched her, still holding out his hand. It was obvious she didn't need it, but he had made the offer after all. She made the final jump and grabbed his fingers, allowing him to tow her to the top. After giving her a moment to take in the view he started, "If you look from here you'll see we're enclosing the original wall within a concentric ring, an extra barrier for now." He gestured. "But with plenty of space for when we overflow the original location." He turned. "There will be six approaches, each guarded and fortified."

"Has there been trouble?" She asked, eyes traveling from the rough circle to the mountains beyond, then back to the growing city behind her.

"Not as of yet." He replied, watching her. She seemed…older, somehow. Not that they could age, but time had tempered her, that playful woman he had met so long ago. He could see a hint of shadow behind those silver eyes and wondered what had put it there. "Small skirmishes on the outskirts, for the most part. However, with such a gathering there is no doubt at some point we will become a target."

She swept a gauntleted hand through the air. "There's still quite a distance between the new wall and the mountains. Are you clearing it for a no man's land?"

He smiled, impressed. "Yes, for now. Should we require the space we will expand to build another past the first. But that is looking far to the future."

Her eyes roved across the sprawling town, quickly becoming a city, taking in the scaffolds and workers. A large bus trundled by, she looked at it thoughtfully. Small groups walked beneath the wall, holding low conversations.

"Do you remember?" She asked.

He did not need to ask what she meant. "I do."

"Sometimes it seems like it was only yesterday. Sometimes it feels like it was just a dream."

"A fire still burns in the town center. There has been talk of making it into a monument."

"An eternal flame?" She asked. "I think I'd like to see that."

He cleared his throat. "There are numerous restaurants built around the location, perhaps you would like to join me there and we will…talk of old times."

She looked up at him, her silver blue brows drawn together as she examined his face. He coughed again and looked away.

"When does your watch end?" She asked.

He kept his eyes fixed on the gap outside the wall. "Approximately two hours, just before twilight."

She released his hand. He stared down at his empty palm. He hadn't even realized…

"Then I'll meet you by the flame."

One last smile and she leapt off the wall.

Zavala watched her disappear into the crowd before he turned, continuing his watch and trying not to count the minutes.

"There are more of us now."

They had taken some time to walk around the city center, reading hand-written menus in the windows and drawn on placards. Finally they settled on a place where the scent of spices nearly overwhelmed that of the population. Small seating arrangements were scattered within and without the building. Their chosen table looked out over the square, and mutually, without even discussing it, they had chosen to move their chairs so their backs were against the wall. The servers didn't comment, so they were more than likely used to the quirks of the Risen.

"There are." He agreed. "Many Risen have begun filtering in from further afield, off planet as well."

"How is that?"

"Golden age ships salvaged from where they had lain abandoned."

"I would like to see some of those ships." She murmured, eyes on the sky past the curved bulk of the Traveler. "But I meant more Awoken." She made a face. "That's what they're calling us now, isn't it?"

"Ah, yes." he leaned back, considering before giving her a long look. "I was revived here on Earth."

She raised her eyebrows, encouraging him to continue.

"But apparently that was a fluke. All the others I've spoken to have come from much further off, near the asteroid belt. As they put it 'where the light meets the dark'."

"My Ghost told me the piece of ship I was found in had been flung back towards the inner planets, so perhaps that was my point of origin as well."

"And mine." He agreed, "For I was also discovered inside a ship. None of the Awoken are natively raised here."

"So we're aliens?" She murmured, sipping at her water glass. "Perhaps that explains it."

He leaned forward. "How do you mean?"

The server chose that moment to arrive with their plates. Zavala inhaled the heady scent of spice as his was placed before him, steam rising from the rice and vegetable concoction. "Thank you." He said. The civilian nodded.

"Yes, thank you." Alia echoed. She looked to Zavala after the man left. "I'll answer that question, but after we eat?"

"Of course."

He took a bite, feeling the flavors clash before melding harmoniously on his tongue. "Delicious."

She took her own first bite before coughing and taking a sip from her water.

"Are you…"

"I'm fine." She gasped. "It's very spicy. Wonderful." She took another bite before taking another sip. "Delicious." She gasped again.

He felt his eyes crinkle in amusement. "We can order something else."

She shook her head. "No, I knew it would be spicy. It's my favorite dish." She laughed at his incredulous look. "No, really."

He shook his head as she took another determined bite, turning his attention to his own plate.

By the time their plates were clean he was feeling very contented, looking out at the lanterns being lit around the square, the gatherings of civilian and Risen. Some larger knots formed and he felt his contentment slip slightly at the sight of the faction banners.

Alia cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to her, "The first village I visited after I arrived on Earth they called me 'blue girl'; they'd never seen someone like me. Nonetheless…" That shadow returned behind her eyes, dimming their light with memory. She pressed her hand to her forehead, eyes squeezing shut as she took long breaths. "I apologize…they made me welcome, though I was different." She shook her head. "I suppose I'd assumed it would be the same everywhere."

"But it was not." He nodded, ignoring the pause.

"When I made my way here there were few, and I was accepted. But even so I was something different, more so even than the EXO. Those they had seen before. I assume you felt the same way."

"At times," He agreed. "But as more people filtered in…"

"Yes." She nodded, fiddling with the edges of her cloak before glancing up at him. "Did you…"

He leaned back in his chair, thoughtful. "Some stares, particularly at first. But no outright hostility. Now that…they…hm…" He visibly searched for the right words. "Now that the Awoken people have come bearing gifts..." His neutral expression betrayed none of his thoughts on the matter. "They have started to become integrated. Though I do think they feel we're a bit savage." His mouth quirked, inviting her to smile at the observation. She simply shrugged, withholding judgement.

"It's different out there." She gestured, past the Traveler, past the mountains, out into the wild, before letting her hand rest on the scarred tabletop. "I've learned to keep my helmet on."

He reached forward, placed a comforting hand over hers. Her hand looked so small beneath his, but he knew well that her grip was strong. "I'm sorry."

She smiled, "We all make sacrifices. Keeping my helmet on is a small one, in the grand scheme of things. But now that there are more of us, perhaps things will change."

A commotion brought both of their attentions around. Her hand went under her cloak, no doubt clasping the hilt of one of the knives no Hunter ever seemed to be without. He rose to his feet. The two factions he had noticed gathering earlier had grown in number, scuffles breaking out around the edges where the two groups met.

"There are more of those as well." She murmured, watchful, her hand still hidden in her cloak.

"Yes." Zavala agreed, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides.

"Is anything being done?"

"Things are in motion, but no, not yet. The general feel is that the day is coming." He looked down at her, finding his resolve matched in her eyes.

"Perhaps I'll stay around for a while, then." She said. "See what comes to pass."

He gave her a fierce smile. "Your presence would be most welcome."

She smiled back. "Should we break them up?" She asked.

He shook his head reluctantly. "Unless it gets out of hand, interfering will do more harm than good." He sighed. "But we should make sure the bystanders aren't in the line of fire, in case it does get out of hand." He held out his hand. "Shall we?"

She tossed some glimmer on the table and accepted his hand. "Are dinners with you always going to be so exciting?"

"I certainly hope not."


	18. Six Breaths

Six Breaths

* * *

The smoke lit the streets with an eerie light, reflecting its source and painting strange shadows on the walls.

Alia spun around the corner, pulse rifle held in steady hands, even as her heart beat a quickening staccato beneath her chest piece. A breath, that was all there was time for. The clatter no pair of boots or shoes that had adorned a human foot had ever made came closer, so quickly, too many beats, as though the creature ran on four feet rather than two. She pushed off the wall with her shoulder, already sighting down the barrel. One pulse, no, correct a little lower. There, one more. The Fallen shrieked, ether flowing from its torn throat. She spun around the corner again, reloaded, reflected.

This was a little more than she had expected. In some ways better, in some ways worse than the Faction Wars that had erupted in the city. All that mess had come to a sudden and screeching halt and she was in an odd way grateful to the Fallen.

They shouldn't have been fighting amongst themselves in the first place. She had lost friends as the Factions had clashed. Innocents had died in the crossfire, the Factions had claimed it justified. Those who stood against them were of another mind. Many had joined against the Factions, determined to guard rather than suppress. Many had not.

Things had been at a stalemate when the first Titan guard had called warning of the mass approaching the walls. Two, three….six. One for each approach. Surrounded, cut off, pressed on all sides, all sides had been forced to table their differences in the face of a greater threat. A threat that was now scaling the walls like man-sized spiders, despite the Titans that strove to hold them back.

Stragglers. But still stragglers in dangerous numbers. Any one left unchecked would cause untold loss of life against the unprepared civilians that even now ran for cover, calling for help. She took another breath and dashed out into the street, her eyes searching for figures within the fire lit smoke.

"Stoneborn, to me!" She heard above the crackling flames. At least a dozen roars answered the call.

 _The Titans can handle this side._ Toby advised.

She nodded, dashing the other direction.

She heard more chittering and slid to a halt, making herself low to the ground as she peered around another corner. This area of the city was a veritable maze, but all the better for someone like her who was used to navigating inhospitable terrain. Unless she came to a corner like this one. Too easy to be pinned down, no cover to speak of and three Vandals lying in wait.

 _Alia, above you._

She looked up.

* * *

The rooftops here were lower. She dashed along, her eyes on the streets below, leaping crumbling gaps that appeared beneath her feet. Within, the void lay in wait, patient. She crouched, pulled out a grenade and primed it before tossing it against the wall below. A shadestep backwards and she landed in front of the Fallen in the alley, opening fire and pushing them into the waiting torrent of void light behind them.

She shook her head, reloading again, already moving on.

Rage simmered inside her, she fed it to the void. She was tired, she fed the weariness to the void. She would allow herself to feel nothing but purpose. She would find them, and she would feed them to the void as well. Every. Last. One.

Another corner. She stopped, crouched and moved back against the wall. Rubble and shadow hid her. The mass of Fallen stood in the middle of the courtyard, the towering Captain barking orders to the gathering of dregs and vandals surrounding her. Alia looked around the area, searching for a way to lay an ambush. There was no way should could win in a straight on fight against these numbers.

Her eyes caught and her breath froze in her chest as wide eyes flashed in the darkness of one of the shattered storefronts on the other side of the square. She looked back to the Fallen. A few of the dregs had broken away from the gathering, began poking around in the debris. Close, too close.

She reached over her shoulder, fingers searching for the smooth, worn wood of her bow.

One of the dregs had reached the storefront.

 _They'll be seen!_ Toby called in alarm.

"I know." She whispered. "I need…" Where was it?

 _There's no time!_

She knew. She knew. The void boiled to her fingertips. She needed her bow. It wouldn't work without it. She needed...

A scream.

No time. She drew in a quick inhale and leapt over her cover with a roar to draw their attention, and win the civilians some time. The Fallen, which had begun to converge on the people hiding in the shadows, turned to stare.

She needed. The bow!

Violet light erupted from her hands, forming the bow, forming the arrow. Cold filled her, surrounded her, reality tearing beneath her will.

There.

She drew.

She fired.

Void light crackled, the bow disappearing before her feet could even touch the ground. The arrow hit, striking the ground between the Captain's feet. It erupted, sending out tendrils to drag the Fallen into the hole she had torn between realities. The enemy stumbled, disoriented.

She pulled out her weapon, still dazed, when she heard the crackle of arc.

Another Hunter, covered in living electricity, dashed out of the shadows, blade flashing, cloak twirling as he danced among the captured Fallen, dispersing them into atoms. The Captain fell last, just as the hole closed itself, the tendrils pulled back from whence they came.

He stopped, flicking the last remnants of arc from his cloak with an absent gesture. "It's safe now." He called into the storefront. "But stay put, okay?"

The shadows withdrew deeper into the ruined building.

She approached, still a little dazed. "Andal."

"Hey kid, that was some fine void work." He turned. She caught the white flash of his teeth as he grinned. "Haven't seen anything quite like it."

She shook her head. "Neither have I." Never had she been able to summon the arrow without the physical aid of her bow. "It just happened."

"Yeah, sometimes it works that way." He nodded. "But hey, it was good work. You deserve to brag a little bit."

A reluctant chuckle erupted from within her helmet.

"Okay, enough congratulations. Well done, blah blah, pat on the back. We'll talk about it later." He clapped her on the shoulder then put his hand to his ear, holding up a finger for her to wait.

"City is clear." He finally said. "But there are still forces outside the walls. We need to move out."

She hefted her rifle, letting out a deep breath. "Then let's do it."

* * *

Somehow they had found each other in the midst of battle. They had fought side by side, not acknowledging the other's presence except unconsciously countering strengths and weaknesses. They had fought, and they had won.

Zavala turned, arm outstretched.

Alia took his offer of help and used his bulk to stand. He was unmoved by her weight, the weight of her armor, a Titan in all regards. She held onto his hand a little longer than needed.

He did not protest. Perhaps his eyes even warmed a little, though his expression did not change,

She wished she could coax out a smile, but there were so few to be had.

She surveyed their surroundings. "We survived." She felt moved to say, her eyes on the shattered landscape.

He nodded, the smoldering flames reflected in his glowing turquoise eyes. "Many did not. But the walls still stand. Still we survive, and will rebuild." His eyes turned to the sleeping orb above.

She nodded, "We will survive."

Just before they transmatted away, leaving behind so many who would not share in their victory, she released Zavala's gauntleted hand.

* * *

Alia settled into the cockpit of her recently acquired ship before burying her head in her hands.

"Alia?" Toby materialized above her shoulder. "Are you well?"

She breathed deeply and tapped the side of her helmet, asking him to remove it. It melted away and she took another deep breath before letting her head loll back against the seat. "It's just hard to believe it's over."

"Well, it's not entirely over. Keep in mind that the trouble with the Factions was not entirely resolved, as well as the fact that a large portion of the town will need to be rebuilt…also you still need to speak with Andal and…"

"Please, stop." She whispered. "Just let me breathe a little bit longer."

"Would you like me to take the ship around the Traveler a few times before we land?"

"That would be nice." She agreed, closing her eyes and rubbing her fingers against her palm, holding on to the sensation of Zavala's hand engulfing hers for as long as she was able. "I just need to rest…for a little while."


	19. Bad Influences

Bad Influences

* * *

"You understand what this will involve?"

Despite the general volume that permeated the dark interior of the crowded bar he kept his voice low. The corner booth was as private as he could find and he had chosen this place deliberately. Not many from the towers congregated here but they were far from unknown. Their novelty inspired a respectful distance and a healthy curiosity.

That was fine as long as the respect did not outweigh the curious.

"I do."

"Look, kid." He set his drink on the table. "I know I've asked a lot of you over the decades, and you've always delivered, but this is…after what happened at Mare Imbrium…"

"I've always trusted in your decisions, sir." He winced at the title and her teeth flashed white in the darkness beneath her glowing silver eyes, a quick, grim smile.

"Guardian…" Now it was her turn to wince. "Once you start there will be no turning back. You need to be all in on this."

The glowing silver disappeared briefly as she closed her eyes. When they opened again he could see the resolve shining within, as he knew there would be. "I understand, sir."

"You know I hate it when you call me that."

"Then you shouldn't have accepted the Hunter bet, sir." She pointed out archly. "Timetable?"

"As soon as seems feasible. This is a long term assignment." He told her. "But not tonight. Tonight we dance." He stood and offered her his hand in a flamboyant gesture of chivalry.

She choked on her drink.

"C'mon, kid!" He cajoled. "Don't leave me standing here like this. It's embarrassing!" He waggled his fingers at her, "How else am I going to make Zavala jealous?"

Her amused expression flickered and he silently cursed himself. But she simply saluted him with her drink before downing it and thumping the empty glass on the table. She grabbed his hand and let him tow her out onto the dance floor.

Laughter erupted as he dipped her and they whirled into the crowd.

"And just so you know, Andal." She told him later when they dropped breathless back into their chairs. "It would take more than a dance or two to make Zavala jealous."

"Oh?"

She waved for another drink. "And that was _not_ a challenge."

* * *

"Did you have an entertaining evening?" Zavala asked from his comfortable reading chair, his dark brows climbing his forehead when Alia stumbled through the door of their shared housing in the Tower some hours later.

Between his duties and hers there was often only evidence of the other's presence so she was beyond pleased to find him rather than the remnants of his passing through.

She murmured an assent and draped her arms over his shoulders.

"You're inebriated."

"Bad influences." She mumbled, snuggling closer against his solid chest. He quickly moved the book he had been reading to safety as she curled bonelessly into his lap.

"I see." He stroked one broad hand over her tousled silver-blue hair.

"Don't be disappointed in me." She whispered against his throat.

"I am not disappointed." He assured her, tucking his hands behind shoulders and knees and standing, lifting her. "Let's get you to bed."

"Love you."

"And I, you."

She watched him with close, almost unsettling attention as he helped her out of her clothes and tucked her under a crocheted blanket he had made. He had attempted to teach the craft to her once, but with rather disastrous results.

"Read me something?" She asked from her pillow, "Until I can fall asleep."

"Of course." He smoothed a stray lock of hair away from her eyes. "I was just in the middle of a rather intriguing volume of pre-golden age romantic poetry. Shall I…"

"That sounds perfect."

She scooted over so he could lie beside her, his back propped against the headboard as he read. At some point her hand crept out from under the blankets and clasped his free hand, fingers twining together. He smiled, and raised their joined hands to his mouth, brushing his lips across the back of her knuckles, never pausing in his recitation.

* * *

"You've been distant lately. Is all well?"

She gave him a tired smile and touched his face. "It will be soon, I hope."

* * *

"What have you done?"

She couldn't answer.

His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides, pain skating across vivid turquoise irises.

Her compatriots stood around her in various poses of defeat of defiance. He did not seem to see them, his focus solely on her, the bedraggled hair, the blood smeared across her cheek, stripped of weapons and dignity.

She kept her face expressionless, her eyes cool, showing nothing.

"How could you betray everything we stand for? The Speaker, the Traveler, the people of the City?" He swept his arm towards the sleeping orb, clearly visible from the top of the tower where they stood.

Representatives of New Monarchy stood with him, grim judgment in their stances, the way they held their weapons at ready.

He strode up to her. "Betray _me_?" He whispered so low that she didn't think even those standing clustered with her could hear. His whole stance screamed 'why?' His eyes begged her to tell him that he was mistaken.

She couldn't answer.

She was all in.

* * *

"I'm getting you out of here."

She didn't move, arms wrapped around her legs, cheek resting on her knees.

A click as the lock disengaged and a cloaked figure stepped inside.

"Come on. I didn't get you into this to have you banished to some barren moon."

She didn't look at him.

"Alia!"

"The others?" She asked, not lifting her head.

"We got most of them, as far as we can tell. But there are still supporters out there and…" He hesitated, not wanting to impart this news but knowing he must, "and Lysander. If they knew your role…" Andal shoved his fingers through his hair, dislodging his hood. "Toby, help me out here."

Her Ghost flared into existence, his light subdued. "Guardian…" He began gently. "We'll be of no help to anyone if we don't take his offer."

"I've got your gear stashed." Andal said. "You just need to lay low for a while until I get everything sorted out."

Slowly she uncurled herself, moving as if her whole body ached. When she looked at him he nearly recoiled, so devoid of expression was her face, her silver eyes cool steel. "Where?"

He slung her cloak around her shoulders when she reached to doorway. She seemed to revive somewhat beneath its comforting weight.

"Old Chicago." He told her as they slipped out into the night. "When this all blows over I'll come for you." His hand briefly clasped her shoulder, so bare and thin without her armor. "I promise."

"What do you mean she's gone?" Zavala snapped.

Andal spread his hands, "Slipped out, vanished." He made a poofing gesture with his fingers. "She was always a clever one."

Zavala turned and strode to the windows at the back of the Vanguard hall. Andal took the opportunity to let his expression slip, allowing regret to paint lines of age on his ageless face, grateful that at the moment it was just the two of them. The Awoken man had truly loved her, and the pain he was feeling at her evident betrayal was palpable. Centuries together overturned, all because of his orders and her sense of duty. Perhaps he should confide in the Titan, let him in on what had truly…

He shook his head. If he did that Zavala would be intent on exonerating her and bringing her back into the fold, putting her life in terrible danger. Perhaps after Lysander was dealt with…

"We must find her. Under ones such as she and Lysander the Concordat could rise to untold power. It's a threat we cannot ignore."

Andal felt his face blanch. This was not… Well, perhaps he could still salvage the situation, keep her safe from the people she loved. "I'll take care of it personally." He told the Titan mentor, his voice carefully free of the sympathy and horror he felt on his behalf. This must be tearing him apart.

Zavala turned, his eyes unable to hide the naked pain he would not allow to show on his face. "See that you do."


End file.
